Perfect Dinner Rolls Recipe

My grandma’s sister, Annice, made the most delicious dinner rolls. Every once in awhile, she would surprise us with a dozen or so – which we would devour in minutes. These rolls were truly perfect. Light, fluffy, super soft, slightly sweet, and melt-in-your-mouth. She spent years – decades – perfecting her recipe and technique.

I was thrilled when Annice’s daughter, Sonya, shared this recipe with me. In her words:

“Your mom mentioned that you would like my mother’s bun recipe. I would be happy to share it. I enjoyed looking back at her recipes, with her handwriting. As you may remember, she had very poor eyesight. She had written all of her favorite recipes in large print, and had them filed in folders – breads, hot dishes, salads, desserts, etc. She was able to follow them pretty much up until she moved out of her home. She and her sisters were amazing, weren’t they? You come from good genes, Haley.”

My grandma’s sister, Annice

My grandma passed away in 2005, and Annice a few years later. Today, I enjoy spending time in the kitchen making their recipes, reading the notes they scribbled on the recipe card, imagining them making modifications along the way that truly gave their dishes “made with love” status.

I hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as my family has over the years.

Perfect Dinner Rolls Recipe

Yield:3 dozen dinner rolls

Cook Time:15 min

The rising times are somewhat flexible. The original recipe is called "overnight buns", because the final rising time is intended to take place overnight. However, you can eye-ball it. Just keep checking the dough as it rises. You'll be able to tell when it doubles in size.

Directions:

In a glass mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar. Wait about 5 minutes, or until foam appears.

In a microwaveable bowl, melt lard. Remove, add 2 cups of water, and stir well. Add yeast mixture. Add eggs, sugar, salt, and about half of the flour. Continue adding the remaining flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well each time. You want the dough to be slightly sticky but easy to work with.

Move dough to a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes. Place dough in a bowl sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm location until dough doubles in size, 1 to 3 hours depending on the yeast you choose (read package directions). Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Re-cover the bowl and let it rise again in a warm place for 1 to 3 hours.

Place dough on a floured surface and knead for a minute or so. Take a golf ball-sized piece of dough and make a smooth circle out of it, folding the edges underneath so the top is smooth. Place dough balls evenly spaced on a greased baking sheet. Allow a little space between each dough ball. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for at least an hour or overnight.